MY LORD'S A-WRITIN' -- Devotional for May 7, from "Good Seeds"

I saw a Great White Throne, and before it stood the dead, great and small. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, the book of Life. The dead were judged from the things written in the books, according to their deeds. (Rev. 20:11-12)

An old slave song goes something like this: “He sees all you do, He hears all you say; my Lord’s a-writin’ all the time.” This spiritual is rooted in Scripture, as it refers to what the Bible teaches about God keeping close tabs on His creation. But what exactly is God writing? About whom is He keeping such copious records? What is the nature of the books He is writing in? And finally, when will this information be retrieved, and for what purpose? The Bible says a time is coming when the “books” will be thrown open. Every sinner’s name is in there, and since every human – male or female, old or young, alive or dead – is a sinner, it is a complete roll book of the entire world of all time. And next to each name is listed that person’s deeds. Every man will then be judged according to his works. Those who depend on good deeds to save them will find out at the “Great White Throne” of God that all human beings are equally and thoroughly condemned by their sins. No good work of a man can reverse the effects of his sin – only the blood of the Lamb can do that. “The wages of sin is death,” but Christ’s death paid for our sin. Those who will not accept His payment on their behalf will have to pay it themselves, with their own eternal death. Judgment Day will be the unbeliever’s “Day of Discovery,” when he finds out that man’s way doesn’t work. But by that time, tragically, it will be too late to do anything about it. Besides these books of condemnation, there is another book, “The Lamb’s Book of Life,” in which are recorded only the names of those who do not depend on sacrifices of works, but on a sacrifice of blood, to save them. In the very beginning of the history of mankind, we see these two attempts at right standing with God, in the very different sacrifices brought by the two brothers, Cain and Abel. And it was then that God established the pathway to forgiveness and blessing: it would not be the by the sweat of his brow that a man would achieve right standing with God (Cain brought produce from his fields), but by the sacrifice of blood not his own (Abel brought “a firstling from his flock” -- Genesis 4:4). That’s when God started writing, and these two brothers’ names can be found on the first page of God’s two books, the Book of Condemnation and the Book of Life. By the way, where will your name be found? God’s still writing, you know!